Alsace-Lorraine G 8.1
| Industry | Railway |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1913 |
| Headquarters | Alsace-Lorraine (historical region) |
| Products | Steam locomotives (Class G 8.1) |
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The Alsace-Lorraine Class G 8.1 was a superheated freight steam locomotive featuring four powered axles, essentially modeled on the Prussian G 8.1 without any design alterations. Between 1913 and 1919, the Reichseisenbahnen in Elsaß-Lothringen (Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine) acquired a total of 137 units of this class; of these, eleven were manufactured by Henschel while the remainder came from Elsässische Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Grafenstaden. These locomotives bore the numbers from 5151 up to 5278.
Following the conclusion of World War I, ten of these engines remained within German territory and were subsequently assigned Deutsche Reichsbahn numbers: 55 2946, 3338 to 3340, 4275 to 4279, and 4285. In March 1935, locomotive number 5157 was transferred to the Saarland Railways shortly before the Territory of the Saar Basin reverted from French to German control; it was then reclassified as number 55 5665 in the Reichsbahn roster. After World War II, seventy-two Prussian G 8.1 locomotives stayed in Alsace-Lorraine and became part of the AL fleet, which succeeded the Reichseisenbahnen. An additional one hundred thirty-eight Prussian G 8.1s were incorporated as reparations following the war. Some units were allocated to the Chemins de fer de l'Est and also to the Algerian State Railway. The SNCF designated these locomotives as Class 040-D, with the last one in operation—numbered 040-D-260—being withdrawn from service in 1966.
These locomotives were typically paired with Prussian-style class 3 T 16.5 tenders.